Ask GTP About Your Car Problems/General Questions

[Eric.]

Looks like I'm going to settle with camber bolts for right now, since camber plates are at least 4x as expensive.

Also found a factory rear sway bar from an 85 MR2 on eBay and won the auction. End links don't look cheap. I'll see if Toyota has any in stock or else I will need to (not) overnight them from Japan (or, an ebayer in the UK, rather...).

 

[Punknoodle]

Surely you can just get some made? Plus there are plenty around aftermarket like Whiteline?

 

[Eric.]

Surely you can just get some made? Plus there are plenty around aftermarket like Whiteline?

Some...end links?

 

[Punknoodle]

Yeah. 2 ball joints on a bar, nothing too hard about ut

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

Tar on your car...whats the best way to get it off?

I have a glob on my front bumper the size of a chocolate bar, and a big smudge on my quarter panel. Any recommendations on getting it off without making a huge mess?

 

[Punknoodle]

You can buy special bug and tar remover, you put it on, leave it to soak in and soften the tar and wash it off.

 

[Joey D]

Apparently peanut butter or Crisco (fat in a can) works as well, but I'm not sure I would smear either on my car. Might make a big, sticky mess. I use the special remover made by Meguiars.

 

[old mate]

i just use a regular automotive degreaser. it gets it off really well.

 

[Eric.]

My MR2 has an ant problem. And what might be the worse part is that they aren't in the interior. There's a nest somewhere in the car though. I see them randomly on the outside (engine lid mostly, saw a line of them running across it last night) and when I was vacuuming the interior I sucked up hundreds of them as they ran from under the door sill trim panel (they appear to be going inside the driver door somewhere too). I have some ant bait things, but I'm not really sure where I should put them. If I would put them in the interior, assuming they could get into it, would mean having ants IN the car then, if only for a short period. So maybe somewhere in the engine bay would do it?

 

[Punknoodle]

Don't be mean to them they just wanna go cruising.

Seriously though I'd be hoisting it up and cleaning it, then spraying the complete underside with insecticide. Then just treat the sills and seals with it, clean the upholstery and carpets throughly to eliminate any eggs and you'll be sweey

 

[Eric.]

Yeah, I might have to do that. I just don't get what would make them be attracted to the car. I could see if there was food in it or something...

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

Apparently peanut butter or Crisco (fat in a can) works as well, but I'm not sure I would smear either on my car. Might make a big, sticky mess. I use the special remover made by Meguiars.

Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Lisa had gum in her hair and everyone tried different ideas to get it out.

Couldn't find the Meguiars, but was able to pick up some Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover. Hopefully it works just as well and lets me take this tar off without going through a pile of rags.

 

[Punknoodle]

Anybody use the Infinity Reference speakers in their vehicle? I finally have a decent head unit on the way and was considering ordering some of these speakers just to put in the factory locations, 4" up front, 6.5" rear to try and improve the sound quality a bit.

Not interested in running an amp at the moment, too many other priorities I just want to have better sound to go with my new deck.

These seem to get good reviews without breaking the bank, any thoughts or suggestions?

Edit: Nevermind I bought them anyway so I'll just find out when I install them..

 

[mustangGT90210]

My MR2 has an ant problem. And what might be the worse part is that they aren't in the interior. There's a nest somewhere in the car though. I see them randomly on the outside (engine lid mostly, saw a line of them running across it last night) and when I was vacuuming the interior I sucked up hundreds of them as they ran from under the door sill trim panel (they appear to be going inside the driver door somewhere too). I have some ant bait things, but I'm not really sure where I should put them. If I would put them in the interior, assuming they could get into it, would mean having ants IN the car then, if only for a short period. So maybe somewhere in the engine bay would do it?

Stop parking under trees, drive it more, and clean out the interior and put an ant trap in the trunk, under the hood, and under your seat. Check back a week later.

Trust me on this one, my truck was nearly infested when I bought it, and between vacuuming, washing the outside, driving it around and killing everyone I could reach while driving, they were gone in less than a week. I put 2 traps under my seat because they were only in my cab, problems solved

Anybody use the Infinity Reference speakers in their vehicle? I finally have a decent head unit on the way and was considering ordering some of these speakers just to put in the factory locations, 4" up front, 6.5" rear to try and improve the sound quality a bit.

Not interested in running an amp at the moment, too many other priorities I just want to have better sound to go with my new deck.

These seem to get good reviews without breaking the bank, any thoughts or suggestions?

Edit: Nevermind I bought them anyway so I'll just find out when I install them..

Kappa's are better, but I'm about 3 weeks off of getting References for my doors too 👍

 

[Eric.]

Stop parking under trees not possible, drive it more it gets driven, and clean out the interior cleanand put an ant trap in the trunk they aren't in the trunk, under the hood, they aren't under the hood and under your seat they aren't inside the car. Check back a week later.

And they aren't interested in any bait.

 

[mustangGT90210]

And they aren't interested in any bait.

So where are the ants then? If they aren't in the engine bay, the trunk, or interior.... Where'd they go?

Next time you park it you, try leaving a 3/4 empty can of coke near the car, if it's anything like camping they'll go to that and leave your "tent" (MR2) alone

 

[Eric.]

Don't know. They're always crawling around aimlessly on all the top surfaces. They have been in my door sills, but never actually in the interior. I think they may be nested up behind my fenders or something, as there's a lot of debris gathered behind them over the years.

Going to try that Taro stuff soon, I hear that's like magic.

 

[DQuaN]

I had an odd one this morning. I was driving to work, and the car decided to start indicating left! Moving the indicator stalk, turning on the hazzard lights, turning off the ignition didn't help. Eventually, when I was actually making a left turn and indicating, when I had gone round the corner it stopped. Then, a little while later, while indicating left to go in to my Office carpark, it kept on indicating! I parked the car, turned off the ignition, and when I turned it back on, it was still indicating.

I think there is some kind of computer under the steering wheel that controls all of this but I'm not sure. I'm sure some of you GTP experts can tell me what's going on!

My car is a 2000 Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec.

Ta

Dunc

 

[Punknoodle]

Sounds like a sticky contact in the stalk mechanism. I'd be checking that first.

 

[DQuaN]

I think you may be right. I just played with it a little more. It seems to happen most when indicating right and then cancelling. It seems to tap the left ever so slightly and sets it off. I can stop it by just gently pressing left. How can I check this?

 

[nk4e]

My brother's Honda Civic EX 1999 started to feel a little sluggish during idle and his engine light came on. At the advice from a friend, we changed the Distributor cap/ Rotor then nothing. A few days later I change the spark plugs and wires, the car won't turn at all.

 

[Eric.]

That's a little vague. It doesn't crank or it doesn't start? And if it doesn't start, is it trying to start?

Check for fuel, check for spark.

 

[nk4e]

Its trying to start but there is no spark now with either the old plugs or new ones. My brother replaced the distributor cap ( Which started before with the same problem, so I decided to get some new plugs and change them. Now it doesn't start..I am going to get at it again today.
My friend scanned it and it comes up with Misfire codes: ( On the first day the problems started):
p1399
p0302
p0305

 

[Eric.]

He only replaced the cap?

Is the wire from the igniter to the distributor connected?

 

[nk4e]

Let me check..give me a few.. Wire is in. We are narrowing it down to the firing order (My friend, my brother and me )...sadly..how the story goes, the civic warned us about the misfire codes. My brother changed the distributor cap..days later, I changed the spark plug and wires( Everything one at a time) and now it won't turn over. There is a crank but no spark. ( Could be the wires..it could be the plugs. The older plugs have a suction cup on them while the newer ones don't)

 

[Punknoodle]

Celica GT-Four tracking issue.

Before I got my new wheels I was riding around on the factory rims, with Tein Super Street coilovers and a Whiteline rear sway bar. The car drove normal, straight.

When I bought my wheels and put them on, same deal, car drives straight.

When I changed all my suspension bushes to Whiteline Plus and Superpro and got it aligned at Pedders the car now has a slight tug, momentarily, to the right on throttle lift, the more I am accelerating when I lift the greater effect it has. When accelerating I notice no pull. At constant speed, no pull.

Now for some theories. As the car moves to a neutral suspension position as throttle is released, the weight change on the front wheels creates changes in the suspension geometry and has an effect on tracking, this could have been something that was adjusted when the alignment was performed.

Or could it be minor torque steer? As I say, the effect is not noticeable on acceleration, just on the first moment as I release throttle after heavy acceleration. May not have noticed it before as the previous alignment may have masked it?

I always check tire pressures, all dead on 30 psi.

I have no uneven tire wear. Tires are Dunlop Sportmaxx TTs.

It's not really worrying me, just something I have noticed.

 

[Adamgp]

A couple weeks ago I managed to break 3 exhaust hangers. However the other 3 were able to hold it up.

So I was driving home from work tonight, stopped at a red light.

I hear a loud clank and my car got extremely loud. I pull off at the nearest parking lot and look under the car to find one side is dragging on the ground.

Luckily the lot I pulled into was a grocery store, so I went in to look for something for a quick fix. I found a wire coat hanger but had to buy a $6 t-shirt to get it, but it got me home.

Once home I tried installing new hangers but couldn't get them on. I was too tired, cold, and hungry to mess with it any longer so I put the coat hanger back on, and a 2nd coat hanger just in case.

How long can I drive with a couple coat hangers holding up the exhaust?

 

[Eric.]

5 minutes to 5 decades probably.

 

[Joey D]

I'm currently looking at wheels and I found I set that I like that has close to the same offset and same bolt pattern. However, the center bore of the wheels I'm looking at is 80, while my car hub is 63.4. That seems like a huge difference to me but I'm not exactly sure how it all works. I do know you can get rings put on to fix this, but I do not want to over do it and cause an issue. I think my Momo's have a 70 bore on them and I'm currently running rings without issue, but that's only 7mm not 17mm.

 

[Schwartz]

Hi all,
I have squeaky breaks. When I tell people that they say that I need new ones because my brakes are probably worn down. But that doesn't make sense because my car is a 2008 Altima. Don't brakes usually last more than 4 years?

Thanks,
Schwartz38